1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a stud mount for mounting a traction stud on a vehicle drive member and more particularly to a one-piece stud mount and method of making a one-piece stud mount which is slidably received on a reinforcing rod that is thereafter embedded in an endless yieldable snowmobile drive track.
2. Description of the Prior Art and Objects
A snowmobile is a motor driven machine which is propelled by an endless drive track typically formed of resilient material such as rubber. Early attempts at improving traction on ice included a relatively complicated and expensive multiple piece grouser assembly such as that illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 2,040,696 issued to E. A. Johnston on May 12, 1936. More recent attempts at improving the traction capability of the snowmobile while traversing slippery surfaces include traction improving products, such as the ice stud illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,973,808 issued on August 10 to Jansen et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,838,894 issued to Donald G. Reedy on Oct. 1, 1974 discloses a so-called "T-nut" which includes a head mounted on the inside of a snowmobile track and an integral threaded cylinder received in an aperture extending between the inside and outside surfaces of the track. In the Reedy patent, an ice stud is mounted on the outside of a snowmobile track and threadedly received in the outer end of the threaded cylinder.
Another "push through" ice stud which has been used heretofore, such is that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,266 issued to James R. Musselman on Aug. 10, 1993, includes a head disposed on the inside of the track and an integral threaded shank which passes through the snowmobile drive belt and is secured to the belt via a threaded fastener on the outside of the belt.
Both of the prior art T-nut and push through style studs require a threaded fastener for securing the stud to the drive belt. During travel, tremendous transverse forces are exerted on the snowmobile traction studs and the mounts which tend to laterally deflect or twist relative to the resilient snowmobile drive belt. Such studs are typically mounted with a backer plate or washer disposed between the stud and the track surface to help laterally stabilize the stud and preclude the stud from pulling through the track. Such prior art stud assemblies thus also include a plurality of parts which must be assembled. The turnaround time required to replace broken studs is particularly important to snowmobile racers and the assembly and disassembly of the various stud mounting components are time consuming. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and novel stud mount which facilitates a faster turnaround time for replacing traction studs.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel method for mounting a traction stud on an endless drive track.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and novel stud mount which will allow snowmobile racers to quickly change the snowmobile traction studs, mounted on an endless snowmobile drive track, without the necessity of replacing and/or accounting for a plurality of stud fastener parts threadedly coupled to a stud.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and novel stud mount of the type described which eliminates the need for a separate fastener.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a stud mount and method for mounting a traction stud which utilizes a decreased number of parts to mount a traction stud on the track.
Prior art studs and stud mounts are typically not installed in original equipment snowmobile tracks but are installed as after market items and require the user to drill or cut holes into the track at a plurality of locations throughout the drive belt. It has been found that there are certain track patterns which if used, increase the traction capabilities of the stud. The cutting of such holes is time consuming and the user may not optimally place the holes to maximize traction. Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel stud mount which will facilitate the mounting of traction studs on original equipment endless drive tracks.
Yet another object of the present invention to provide a stud mount and method of manufacturing same which will enhance the production of an original equipment endless resilient drive track that includes a stud mount and polyester cords embedded therein and with the polyester cords passing, undamaged, around the stud mounts.
Still another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel stud mount and method of manufacturing same which will increase the speed of manufacture and assembly of an original equipment studded snowmobile drive belt.
The snowmobile drive tracks typically also include transversely extending fiberglass reinforcing bars or rods which have heretofore been embedded in the track for strengthening the track. Sometimes, the track includes a plurality of laterally spaced apart parallel endless drive belts which have laterally confronting, lateral edges that are integrally coupled together via transversely disposed, integral molded ribs. The reinforcing rods span the adjacent parallel belts and are located so as to be embedded in the transverse integrally molded ribs for increasing track strength.
Such reinforcing rods typically have a semi-circular cross section. During travel, tremendous transverse forces are exerted on the snowmobile traction studs and the mounts which tend to laterally deflect in the holes provided in the resilient snowmobile drive belt. Studs which are deflected relative to the track, tend to deflect or tip into a negative attitude. In a negative attitude, studs will have decreased traction capabilities or holding power than studs which are not so deflected. Stated another way, during a turn, a deflected stud, rather than assuming a digging position, will tend to assume a sliding position. Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide a stud mount which will minimize deflection of a traction stud mounted on an endless resilient drive belt.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a stud mount of the type described which will improve the traction capability of a stud mounted therein.
It has been found, according to the present invention, that it is extremely advantageous to mount a plurality of the stud mounts directly to a transverse reinforcing bars and embed them in the track along with the bars. Accordingly, it is a still further object of the present invention to provide a new and novel stud mount which is mounted to a transverse bar that is subsequently embedded in a snowmobile drive track.
It is another object of the present invention to anchor the threaded stud mounts to a rigid portion of the track.
It is another object of the present invention to anchor the new and novel stud mounts to the reinforcing bars which are thereafter embedded in the resilient drive track.
Another object of the present invention to provide a one-piece stud mount having a stud receiving threaded receptacle to which a stud is mounted and a transversely disposed integral head with a transversely disposed aperture therein for slidably receiving a transverse rod which is subsequently embedded in a snowmobile drive belt.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a stud mount for a traction stud including a stud receiving cylinder for mounting a stud and a transversely extending integral cylinder which is slidably received on the aforesaid reinforcing rod.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a one-piece stud mount of the type described including a stud receiving receptacle having an aperture therein for detachably receiving a stud and a mounting head including a U-shaped base having a pair of confronting legs with apertures therethrough which are aligned to receive a transverse reinforcing rod therein.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing a stud mount provided with an elongate stud receiving receptacle therein and a transversely disposed integral U-shaped head having a pair of legs with aligned apertures disposed therein for slidably receiving a transverse rod.
A further object of the present invention to provide a one-piece stud mount for a traction stud including a barrel shaped stud mount and an integral U-shaped head having mounting legs with apertures cut therein for receiving a transverse rod and also including integral cantileverly supported tabs adjacent the apertures for bearing against the transverse rod.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel one-piece stud mount and method of manufacturing same with a blank of material which is folded on itself to provide a pair of elongate confronting legs that form a traction stud receiving receptacle and include transversely disposed apertures therethrough for slidably mounting the receptacle on a reinforcing bar that is thereafter embedded in an endless drive track.
It is a further object to provide a new and novel one-piece stud mount of the type described which has an elongate traction stud receiving receptacle integrally coupled to a pair of confronting mounting legs having transverse apertures therethrough for receiving a reinforcing bar of the type described and stabilizing tabs adjacent the apertures extending transversely of the legs to rigidify the stud mount on the bar.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a new and novel stud mount and method of manufacture which will increase the speed of assembly of a studded drive track.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel stud mount and method of making same which will increase the speed with which worn or broken studs can be replaced.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel stud mount and method of making which will eliminate the need for threaded fasteners for fastening a traction stud to a drive track.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel stud mount of the type described which includes a rod mounting cylinder having a semi-cylindrically shaped passage therethrough for mating with a semi-circular shaped rod to be embedded in an endless drive track.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a stud mount comprising a mounting head including an opening therethrough having a shape complemental to the shape of a transverse reinforcing rod adapted to be embedded in an endless drive track.
A still further object of the present invention to provide an endless drive track having at least one laterally extending reinforcing rod embedded therein and a stud mount for mounting a traction stud on the rod including a base having an aperture with a shape complemental to the shape of the rod slidingly received on the rod and a stud mounting cylinder having a stud receiving aperture therein for detachably mounting a traction stud therein.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a studded snowmobile drive track comprising the steps of forming a stud mount with a stud mounting receptacle having a stud receiving passage therein and an integral mounting head with a mounting aperture therein disposed transverse to the mounting cylinder, mounting the stud mount on a reinforcing rod, and embedding the rod and the stud mount in a band of resilient material.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a studded snowmobile track of the type described including a track embedded web including a plurality of apertures receiving and additionally securing the stud mounts.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,921 issued to Webb on Jul. 1, 1997, discloses a traction bolt which is threadedly coupled to a reinforcing bar that is molded into a track, however, this bolt is merely threaded through the rod and is not coupled thereto via a stud mount which is embedded in the track.
A snowmobile typically includes wear rods which are disposed along the inner bottom run of the drive track and bear against or ride along track clips that are mounted on the drive track adjacent to windows passing between the inner and outer surfaces of the track. With continual operation, substantial heat is generated due to friction and the track can be heated substantially. In the area of the track guides, the heat sometimes becomes intense and if the heat becomes too high, there is concern that the track embedded fiberglass resin reinforcing rods may deteriorate. It has been found, according to the present invention, that coupling the stud mounts directly to reinforcing rods improve the transmission of heat away from the rod. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and novel stud mount which will function to dissipate heat generated in the drive track.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel stud mount which will function as a radiator for outwardly radiating the heat from the transverse mounting bars and drive track.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel traction stud mount of the type described including a coil spring for threadedly receiving a traction stud.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and novel one-piece traction stud of the type described including a coil spring defining an elongate passage for threadedly receiving a traction stud and an integral coil loop defining a transverse opening, for yieldably mounting on a track embedded reinforcing bar.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art as the description thereof proceeds.